Image/Art by Zeke Tucker 

The past couple of weeks, I have been thinking a lot about the crazy, awesome, unwavering belief that Abraham had in our heavenly Father. I remember learning all about Abraham in Sunday School when I was little (anyone else remember the song Father Abraham?). I remember learning about the significance of his role as God promised him that he would have descendants as many as the stars, and I remember the story of his bold trust in God when he was asked to put his son on the altar… but I don’t think I fully understood how great of an example Abraham’s faith really was.

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Want to read more?  Head on over to Our Circle of Friends to see the full post.

Happy Friday!  This week seems to have flown by and with it, went my very good intentions of writing several posts this week.  So here I am, it's already dark out (which I am still having a hard time adjusting to) and I'm waiting for my sweet hubby to get home from work.  But before he arrives, I wanted to leave you with a little something to chew on. 

The past couple months, my small group has been studying the book of Romans.  I am a huge Romans fan, so I have been thoroughly enjoying revisiting these scriptures.  But it never ceases to amaze me how whenever I re-read the text, there is always something new that jumps out at me.  Here's what got me this time.  Chapter 3:19 says, "Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God." Just to give you a quick idea of what's going on in this chapter... Paul is teaching about how the law is not grounds for righteousness.  He talks about how it is through faith that we are credited righteousness, and that "through the law we become conscious of sin" and aware of our need for a savior.  (It's a great chapter, if you're not familiar check it out.)

But now I need to apologize because I'm pulling a chunk out of the verse that is somewhat out of context, (forgive me) but it's a phrase that's had me thinking the past couple weeks.  It's the idea of being held accountable to God.

I am a big advocate for accountability.  I think sometimes it gets a bad rep like it's just for people in AA or a churchy-small group sort of word, but I think it's much more than that.  For me it's having a person (or two.. or six) who is willing to hold me responsible for my actions.  More specifically, it's someone I can depend on to help me stick to the goals I've set for myself, who pushes and encourages me when I'm struggling to stay disciplined, and someone who is willing to call me out when I'm acting like a fool.  

As I was reading these verses, and thinking about the fact that we are held accountable to God for our actions, I couldn't help but ask myself, why isn't this truth enough?  When I went to a friend's wedding from high school a couple weeks ago, I went into it knowing that I was going to be tempted to have more than my share of beverages.  There were many days in my past that I dabbled in the fun of having a few too many [and it's definitely still a struggle sometimes], but now I know that's not how I want to live my life.  Knowing this, I texted my sister and said "hey, will you hold me accountable to making good choices tonight?"  For whatever reason, even the simple act of reaching out and asking someone to be aware of what I'm doing, is enough to remind me and motivate me to make good choices.  But what gets me is, why isn't the fact that God knows what I am doing, and knows the decisions I'm going to make before I make them... why is that not enough to motivate me to do the right thing?  

Don't get me wrong, I know that God created us for community, to need each other's support and encouragement.  I'm not discounting that, and I'm definitely not going to go ditching my accountability partners!  Having you guys in my life has made a huge difference in helping me work towards being more Christ-like, and encouraging me to pursue the hopes and dreams that He's given me.  

What I am hoping to do though, is put more emphasis on the truth that I don't just have to rely on my husband or sister or whoever else I've asked to hold me responsible.  The God who created me wants to be a part of my life and help me be the very best that He created me to be.  

My hope and prayer moving forward is that knowing that, would be the motivation and encouragement I need to not only make good choices in the sticky situations, but to push myself in the goals and dreams that I feel He has laid out for me.  

I don't know about you, but I am all about checklists.  In college, I would write down my daily assignments in my planner, looking forward to the proud moment when I could cross the item off my list.  And I must admit, I am totally one of those people who would add an already finished assignment onto my list just so that I could have the satisfaction of crossing it off.  There is something so exciting about that physical action of drawing a line through it, isn't there?

Maybe that's part of the reason that for me, lists are not just a good reminder, but a good motivation to get it things done.  That's why, as I'm linking up with Hayley over at The Tiny Twig, who challenged us to join her in making goals for the month of November, I'm calling it my November To-Do list instead of my November goals.  For some reason, the idea of goals sometimes feels too far fetched.  Simply throwing the title "to-do list" up there makes me feel like my goals are way more attainable.  It's totally a mental thing, I get that.  But for me, it helps!

With that said, here is my list of to-dos for the month of November.

• get a lil Christmas shopping done [buy at least 3 gifts]
• CELEBRATE 2 YEARS WITH MY HUBBY
• read A Million Little Things
• go to Body Pump once a week
• hang some pictures on the walls
• write November goals post
• go to Puerto Rico!!!

Notice how I added the one item that I can already check off the list?  :) I couldn't help myself.

One thing that I thought about as I put together this little list, is how important it is to me that my list isn't just made up of things I'd like to get done, but also a reminder to celebrate special moments and choose to make joyful activities a part of my goals.  It's so easy to think of goals as all the gruesome, hard things that we kinda don't want to do, but feel we should.  But why??  Last year, I declared somewhat of a 2013 resolution- that I wanted to be more in love with life, by being intentional about choosing joy in any way that I could.  I loved this little challenge I gave myself, and was significantly encouraged by the discipline that I built to make joyful opportunities happen and reflect on those blessings by sharing some on my blog.  Like this one for example.  Putting joyful activities on my list of to-dos is just another way I hope to carry on this discipline.

In John 10, Jesus says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." My prayer is that your November may also be full, not just with the things that you need to get done, but with many intentionally joyful activities.

When my husband and I got the chance to meet the seller at the closing for our house, I had a feeling it would be a little special, but I had no idea she would hand over a tradition with a lot of pressure in the words "we've been doing it for YEARS.  People will be looking for it."  Looking down to see what she was passing to me, I couldn't help but giggle to myself as she presented the kitty-cat eyes that you now see in the image above.  I remember thinking to myself briefly, "ugh, lady!  we just bought your house- you can't make us do anything!"  [I was a little defensive, but that probably had more to do with the other, not so fun parting gift that she left in the house for us...] Back in the car, we laughed about the odd, (yet thoughtful gift) and chatted about whether or not we would take up the role as the Cat-eye house.

As Halloween approached, the time came to make the decision.  My sister vouched for no, saying they were super creepy.  Going back and forth a bit, we decided to go for it, and see what all the buzz was about.  After taping the poster-like cat-eyes up in the window and turning on the lights inside giving the eyes their evil glow, I ran outside to check out the results only to hear one of the neighbors across the street say, "Hey neighbor! I'm so glad you kept the tradition going!"  After hearing that, and catching myself a little giddy about our home's transformation, it's fair to say that we have officially accepted the role as the Cat-eye house.

It was fun to see trick-or-treaters stop in front of our lawn and say, "whoa, cool house!" and see some other folks stop to take a picture.  I am thankful for the previous owner who was thoughtful in passing the fun decor on to us - I'm definitely looking forward to carrying this tradition on for years to come.

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Besides the kitty-cat eye fun, my awesome parents drove a half hour each way to surprise us, on our doorstep, in costume, ready for a little trick-or-treating fun.  It was great!!! [My parents really are amazing.  I am so thankful that we have such a tight-knit family and that we have so much fun together.] I only hope that Chris and I can grow up to be like the amazing parents we have been blessed with.

Aren't they seriously adorable? 

I think I am finally realizing, or maybe finally admitting, that in this season of my life, Mondays are most definitely my lazy days. The day where I struggle the most to get out of bed.  [Though quite honestly, it is a pretty significant struggle every day.  But that’s for another post].  The day where my motivation is somewhat lacking, and where I fight the list that forms in my head.  But what I’m discovering remembering, is that I am a girl who needs balance. 

Some people thrive on being really busy, who love the go, go, go, and have a hard time letting themselves just sit and relax even if the moment presents itself.  I am very much the opposite.  I am really good at relaxing.  I love settling in on the couch with a good book, a movie, or the latest series on Netflix.   But I’ve learned that I don’t just love relaxing, but that I actually need it.

When I worked as a Ministry assistant for a college ministry, as part of Elmbrook church, I loved my job.  I loved the people I worked with and the opportunity to have a career focused on the Lord day in and day out.  But what I didn’t realize at first, was that even in a job in the church you can get burnt out really really easily.  In college ministry, my job was not like other professions.  Most of my working hours were at odd times of the day, especially in the evenings when students were free from school, and often on weekends for events, or retreats.  So when my week quickly filled up with something every week night, I started to get burnt out. Going going going for weeks on end, I got overdone… unless I had at least one day where I could sit with nothing on the docket begging for my attention- a day where I could simply relax.  

In this world, sitting and allowing time to relax is often seen as weakness.  As if not having every day filled to the max is a bad use of time.  It was really hard for me to admit to my boss, that I needed to re-work my schedule so I could have at least one night of the week where I got to simply “be.” But as I discovered more and more how extremely important that day was in order for me to function at the best of my ability and for me to really pour my heart into what I was doing, I began to fight more for it.  

I now know that I crave balance in a world of busyness, and that I really do need those days.  So when it comes down to it, my Mondays are much more than my lazy days- they have organically become my breathe and recover day.  That one day that I need oh so badly in order to function to the fullest of my ability throughout the rest of the week. 

Now you know what I’m up to for the rest of the day! ;)  

I know that not everyone is in the season that I am in, with the ability to choose my day of rest, but my prayer is that whatever your week looks like, that you might be able to make time to simply be.  And that through those moments you feel the peace of God refreshing you, equipping you for whatever the rest of your days hold.

[Are you good at resting?  I’d love to hear if there are any other “needing rest to function” sort of people out there.]

xoxo

First of all, I have to say that fall is most definitely my favorite season.  I love seeing all the beautiful fall colors as the leaves start to change!  I can't imagine living in a place where you don't get to experience the lovely colors of fall, it seems so weird to me.  With that said, when my sister mentioned that she was taking her 4-K class to a pumpkin farm for a fall field trip, I pretty much jumped on that opportunity and offered up my services to be her class photographer for the day. 

My sister works at Cross Trainers Academy, a choice school for at-risk-youth which is part of the Milwaukee Rescue Mission.  It is a great school, with a really stellar, hard-working staff that pours their hearts into the lives of their students.  I am so proud of my sister and the way that she cares for the little ones in her classroom, so it is always my honor and pleasure to be a part of what she's doing in one way or another.  Okay, that's kind-of not true, it's not always my pleasure at first... I must admit I'm somewhat terrified of small children.  Maybe terrified is a bit strong, but there was definitely an incident one of the days I volunteered in her classroom.  At one point, the entire classroom of littles collectively mocked and laughed at what I had so kindly asked them to do.  I'm pretty sure twenty 4-year olds successfully bullied this 20-something.  hah.  And, it may or may not have left me a little chicken to volunteer in the future.   But I am working through that traumatic experience ;) , getting braver with each visit, and despite the fear, I really do enjoy being able to watch my sister in her element and spend time with the kids she loves on.  

This field trip was a perfect fall day of fun.  The weather was fantastic, and the kids had a blast.  They were able to feed goats, go through a corn maze, ride on a hay wagon, and pick out their very own pumpkin to take home.   And that's where my part came in.  After picking out their pumpkin, each child came over by me to get their picture taken.  They were SO cute as they proudly showed off their hand-picked pumpkin for the camera.  I am soo thankful I was able to be a part of this cool opportunity and give them a piece of their experience to take home and show their parents, something that they don't often get to do.  

It was a really great day.  I got to work on my fear of 4 year olds, and also continue to grow in my hobby of photography.  I was pretty proud of the pics I took (fully in manual! boom.) and look forward to my next opportunity to be the field trip photographer.  Since I can't show you pics of the kids (for privacy reasons), instead, enjoy a few of the lovely farm.  

P.S. If you are looking for a quick and easy to use tool to help you resize your images and have them web-ready, I highly recommend purchasing Blogstomp!  I heard about it through Arielle a wedding photographer at the Influence Conference and I am so glad she told us about it because it is awesome.  For only $49.00 you are able to quickly import your photos and in just seconds have them crunched to the right width for your blog.  Also, you can easily adjust the borders, backgrounds, round the corners, and even add a watermark if you'd like.  You should definitely check it out!  [I'm sharing this quick review with you just because I thought it was great, no other reason.]

It is really difficult to quickly summarize the affirmations, encouragements, and challenges that God impressed on my heart through the Influence Conference.  I shared a little bit about it here, but I'd like to try and give you just a little glimpse of the bigger picture.

Much can be summarized with the words shared by the lovely Hayley Morgan as she encouraged us to link arms with Jesus and walk forward.  Hearing these words at the opening session was like music to my ears and joy to my soul. Finding myself in a place of in-between, unsure of exactly what I'm doing or where I'm going, I really needed this simple reminder to focus not on my lack of direction but on simply walking forward with Him.  Being in this place, it is so easy to get caught up in the lies of the world, the concerns about no direction and the strivings to be as cool as so-and-so or to do something greater.   But as Hayley boldly put it, “If you are believing the LIES you cannot enjoy the FREEDOM of the TRUTH.”

What I know to be true is that He created me. He created me as a good thing in the widest sense of the word.  He has given me passions- He has given me dreams. And it is my duty to own my identity in Christ, and obey the call to action to FOLLOW HIM.

The questions beyond this, the ones that are so easy to get caught up in, like: okay, so I know to follow Him but to where?  What does following Him look like when I really don’t know where He is calling me?  How am I going to be successful and cool and make Him known all at once?  Yes, these ones that so easily and so frequently plague my mind and threaten to throw me off the path... these are the ones that I must work hard to defeat.

Lara Casey, one of the speakers, (and might I add an incredibly talented, God-honoring, and inspiring woman) helped me to counteract these questions and lies as she so beautifully reminded me- the goal in our lives is not to be successful, not to follow our dreams… the goal is HIS GLORY.  This puts it all back into perspective.

Proverbs 19:21 says it simply, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

One of the coolest things, and something that gets me pretty fired up about God, is that He loves us so much that He wants us to be a part of His purpose- to be a part of his incredible plan to reach all nations- to be a part of making His name great.  He could do it alone, He's a mighty God.  But He doesn't, because He wants us to be a part of it!  I love this!

God doesn't give us passions and dreams for no reason- He plants them in our hearts because He wants us to use them for Him, for His glory! I love love love this reminder because it means that this dream that is deep in my soul to use my words for Him, the crazy desire to write a book and maybe even be a speaker for His name- He put that there!  This is one strong affirmation that I so needed to hear.

Jeff Goins was such an encouragement as he said, “If you have a dream, pursue it, protect it, and take care of it—it’s a gift from the Lord.” My dream is not about me, but it needs me.  Well if this is in fact the case, then who am I to disobey what the Lord has put on my heart?

When God puts something on your heart, don’t hesitate- just GO!!!

Reflecting back on all these words and challenges that were shared at the conference, I can’t help but feel my joy begin to overflow. God really did want me at this conference for a reason. He wanted me there to affirm me in who He created me to be.  He wanted me there to remind me that what I am doing is ALL about Him.  And He wanted me there to encourage me that I am so not alone.  This journey is not just to link arms with Jesus, but to link arms with others, to build a strong community where we encourage one another, build each other up, and spur one another on to reach the dreams that God has prepared for us so that we might truly MAKE MUCH OF HIM.

As I settle back into “normal” life, and come down off of the conference high, I know that the days ahead will not be easy. That I will need to work to defeat the lies of the world, and that I will need to intentionally and whole-heartedly pursue Him, no matter what happens. But I am SO excited for the journey ahead- I can't wait to pursue and protect the dream that He has placed in my heart.

My prayer is that you might be encouraged by this little glimpse of what I learned through the Influence Conference.  And that you might join me in linking arms with Jesus and walking forward knowing that  no matter where He leads, with Him there is freedom.
 
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I am so so thankful for the Influence Conference, for each of the women who make up the Influence Network core team that made this happen for us, and for each of the speakers who so beautifully glorified the Lord as they shared where He is leading them in their lives.